1The one thing every magnet has
Every magnet has two different ends
A magnet isn't the same all over. Its pull lives at the ENDS — and the two ends are opposites. Grown-ups call them poles: one is a north end, one is a south end. They always come as a pair.
The two ends
One magnet, two ends. Color the ends so we can tell them apart: red is the north end, blue is the south end.
You can't split them
Snap a magnet in half and you don't get one red and one blue. Each tiny piece grows its OWN red and blue end. There's no such thing as a one-ended magnet.
2Two ways ends can meet
The snap and the shove
Opposite ends, face to face
When a red end faces a blue end — two ends that are different — they reach for each other and clamp tight. That's the snap.
Matching ends, face to face
When the same ends face each other — red to red, or blue to blue — they push away on an invisible cushion. That's the shove. But which one happens? Let's drive it and find out.
3Your turn — drive the magnets
Slide them closer and watch
Two real magnets sit on a frictionless table. Drag the slider to push them toward each other. Watch what the ends do — and notice the pull gets much stronger the closer they get.
4The big test
Flip just one magnet 🔄
Right now, set so the matching ends face each other, the magnets shove apart when they get close. Now you'll flip ONE magnet around, end-for-end — then bring them close again.
Guess before you flip
These two magnets push apart when they're close. You flip just the right one around, end-for-end, and bring them close again. What happens?